ATRL Contributor
Member Since: 8/8/2006
Posts: 42,086
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The cruisy-meets-bosh of some of Calvin Harris’s most boring singles like “Summer” and “Feel So Close” is here revealed to have been just a female vocalist (and not even a distinctive one!) away from working. Truly, this is one for those who remain rooted to the bar except for that one minute when they abandon their drink and/or handbag and go off on the floor for just a minute before returning to their standing position. I’ve got plenty of use for something this comforting subject-wise, sound-wise, and use-wise.
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Endless iterating melodic fragments are usually fine by me, but Rita’s mistaken distortion for weight. But she does sing “oh” just like it’s done on “Dilemma,” and it’s mirrored by those wonderful yelps in the chorus. This is a Natasha Bedingfield distillation: signals and marks, a rush I don’t love but will never brush away.
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Rita Ora: the new Alexandra Burke. You and your new single in an advert? You must be A Major Public Concern. If only Alexandra still was, and was still being paid for her antiperspirant loyalty, this could have soundtracked it. It sounds just as good in its ad as “All Night Long” did because it has a vibrance that previous Ora singles have lacked. She has personality now too, and is completely convincing in her expression of the kind of straightforward sentiment Calvin Harris is brilliant at. With a title and melody as direct and affirmative as “I Will Never Let You Down” it’d be a crime to go wrong.
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That Rita Ora’s persona has been wholly malleable up to this point does not detract from how lovely the chorus is. In just fifteen seconds, Calvin Harris bottles the same bright pop fizz that Betty Who nailed exactly one year ago, concocting a smooth mix of scalar guitars, bouncing breakbeat, and an ebullient “Hee!” hook. The verses may be indistinct (and Rita’s vocals may suffer from the same problem), but that chorus never lets me down.
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Some of the production touches are a little heavy-handed — I could do without hearing “Hey!” shouted in the background of a pop song ever again, thank you very much. The decision to center the verses around the bouncy, infectious bassline is a brilliant one, though, providing the sort of counterpoint that makes Ora’s voice sound considerably more interesting than she can manage on her own.
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Summer! Within the first few notes I’m already on my bike, cruising along leisurely in the sun instead of fighting the wind and rain. As a whole song, it keeps up that mood, with candy synths and a well-placed guitar creating an atmosphere of warmth and lighthearted fun. The “I will never let you down” refrain confirms the positivity. Sure, it’s a bit of one of those Coke commercials where attractive young people frolic around in the sun, but there’s a reason there keeps being those. Who doesn’t want to hang out in the afternoon sun?
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First Rita Ora song that is not trashed by the critics 
The song's such a bop tho
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poor Halien!
